Brookstead bones find
HUMAN remains found on a Brookstead property will be sent to a forensic anthropologist to determine their age and origins.
The skull and vertebrae were found on Thursday by a farmer working in a paddock that had recently been ploughed, police confirmed.
Inspector Sharee Cumming said forensic testing would hopefully identify the origins and age of the remains.
HUMAN remains found on a Brookstead property will be sent to a forensic anthropologist to determine their age and origins.
The skull and vertebrae were found on Thursday by a farmer working in a paddock that had recently been ploughed, police confirmed.
Country Patrol and Support Services Inspector Sharee Cumming said forensic testing would be conducted in the coming weeks in consultation with indigenous and cultural elders.
Inspector Cumming said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the bones or how they were found, and early examinations indicated they could be historical.
“The location indicated they had been there for quite some time,” she said.
“We’ve sought advice from a forensic anthropologist from Brisbane who has indicated that the human remains are indigenous and potentially quite
‘‘ WE’VE SOUGHT ADVICE FROM A FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST FROM BRISBANE WHO HAS INDICATED THAT THE HUMAN REMAINS ARE INDIGENOUS AND POTENTIALLY QUITE OLD. INSPECTOR SHAREE CUMMING
old and not recent.
“We will be forwarding (them) to the forensic anthropologist for confirmation and are also seeking advice from our cultural advisory unit on an appropriate method of dealing with the remains.
“We’ve done a search of the area and whatever is found will be sent down (to Brisbane).”
Inspector Cumming said the field where the remains were found had been “ploughed a number of weeks ago” and the bones had been turned to the top of the soil.
She said while the discovery of historical human remains was not uncommon, it was not a regular occurrence.
But when remains are found, police are called in to establish the nature and circumstances surrounding them.
Inspector Cumming said police had “standard protocols” in place in such instances.
The Brookstead property was guarded overnight Thursday and officers returned yesterday to comb the area and collect any further pieces.